Kazakhstan becomes the first strategic partner of Vietnam in Central Asia

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev expressed his pride in being the first strategic partner of Vietnam in the Central Asian region, affirming that this is a historic event in the relationship between the two countries, creating a more solid foundation for developing relations in all fields.

In a landmark diplomatic development, Vietnam and Kazakhstan officially upgraded their relationship to a strategic partnership during a state visit by Vietnamese General Secretary To Lam to Kazakhstan from May 5 to May 7, 2025. This move underscores a shared vision for long-term cooperation across key strategic sectors and opens new doors for trade, investment, innovation, and people-to-people exchange.

This article outlines the key cooperation agreements signed during the visit, highlights strategic sectors of bilateral engagement, and summarizes their potential impact, particularly from an investment and development planning perspective.

Strategic Partnership: A Milestone in Vietnam–Central Asia Relations
This upgrade marks Vietnam’s first strategic partnership with a Central Asian country, reflecting the growing importance of Kazakhstan in Vietnam’s foreign policy and economic cooperation agenda. The two leaders—General Secretary To Lam and President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev—agreed to deepen political trust and expand cooperation in fields that align with both nations’ development strategies.

Key Areas of Cooperation:

• Science, technology, and digital transformation: A pillar of cooperation
  One of the most significant outcomes of the visit was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Science, Technology, and Innovation Cooperation. The agreement focuses on initiatives such as digital government, smart cities, AI research, and the ICT industry. A joint working group and an intergovernmental subcommittee will be established to implement specific projects, including organizing the ASEAN–Central Asia Digital Forum, to link Vietnam’s digital transformation ecosystem with Central Asian partners.

• Expanding Opportunities in Energy and Geological Exploration
  The energy sector is another key area of cooperation. KazMunayGas (Kazakhstan) and Petrovietnam Exploration Production Corporation (PVEP) signed an agreement to explore joint ventures in oil and gas geological exploration, sharing both expertise and technology.
  This aligns with the strategy of Vietnam to diversify energy partnerships and explore new energy markets beyond Southeast Asia.

• Aviation Collaboration: A Bridge for Trade, Tourism, and Investment
  A major announcement during the visit was the launch of Vietjet Qazaqstan, a joint venture between Vietjet Air and Qazaq Air. This new airline will operate a fleet of at least 20 Boeing 737 aircraft, serving as a strategic link between Kazakhstan, Vietnam, and Southeast Asia destinations.
  The venture is expected to enhance trade, tourism, logistics, and air cargo services between the two countries and beyond.

• Education, Human Resource Development, and Media Cooperation
  To strengthen people-to-people exchange, both countries agreed to expand collaboration in academic exchanges (students, scholars, and researchers) and enhance training programs for highly qualified specialists in Vietnam and Kazakhstan. Furthermore, an agreement was reached between the TV and Radio Complex of the Kazakh President and the Vietnam News Agency to strengthen media cooperation, aiming to enhance cultural understanding and information exchange.
  These initiatives are designed to build cultural understanding and improve the human resource pipeline needed for bilateral projects in technology and business.

Strategic Significance:

The elevation of Vietnam–Kazakhstan relations to a Strategic Partnership tie is expected to create more favorable conditions for bilateral cooperation in a variety of fields, including economics, trade, investment, science and technology, energy, and transportation.

With the signing of multiple cooperation agreements – such as those on digital transformation, oil and gas exploration, and aviation – this partnership lays the groundwork for expanded engagement between the two countries’ business sectors. In particular, initiatives in digital government, smart infrastructure, and education cooperation may contribute to broader regional connectivity and human capital development in the long term.

As implementation progresses, businesses and investors in both countries may look forward to new areas of collaboration aligned with shared development goals.

General Secretary To Lam visits Kazakhstan from May 5-7. This is the first time the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam has visited Kazakhstan and is also the highest-level visit by a Vietnamese leader to Kazakhstan in more than 30 years, since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1992.

Kazakhstan is currently Vietnam’s second-largest trading partner in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). In 2024, two-way trade will reach over 800 million USD, double that of 2023; in the first 3 months of 2025, bilateral trade reached 146.3 million USD, up 18.4% over the same period in 2024. The newly established strategic partnership is expected to breathe new life into economic relations between the two countries, bringing trade turnover to 5 billion USD by 2030.

Full Joint Statement between Viet Nam and Kazakhstan on the establishment of a strategic partnership: https://en.baochinhphu.vn/viet-nam-kazakhstan-elevate-ties-to-strategic-partnership-111250506200813504.htm